Betty Blue Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Betty Blue Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 7, 2019

Jean-Jacques Beineix's "Betty Blue" (1986) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailers; documentary on the making of the film; archival program with the director and Beatrice Dalle; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Chelsea Phillips-Carr and technical credits. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The special girl

Jean-Jacques Beineix’s 37°2 le matin a.k.a. Betty Blue is the type of film that could never be made in America -- for a number of reasons. One of them has to do with the fact that in America romantic films cannot be explicit. There can be plenty of lovemaking in them but under the sheets, away from the camera. Another reason is the fact that the main protagonists are also ordinary people who lead ordinary lives. They make as much love as they can and do not try to change the world. They are not on the run, they don’t have any lofty ambitions, and they aren’t planning to kill anyone. They just happen to have found each other and realized that they were meant to be together. In other words, there is no good reason to tell their story. Finally, the film is comprised of various fragments, all of which are in fact memories, which do not have conventional endings.

The memories belong to Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade, Killing Zoe, Léon: The Professional), a young man who fixes things in a seaside community in the south of France. He is in a relationship with Betty (Beatrice Dalle, Domain, Trouble Every Day), a beautiful girl who likes being naked. They live in a bungalow that has a bad, a table, some chairs, and plenty of books scattered all over the floor.

While arguing with Zorg, Betty accidentally discovers a manuscript he has written and becomes obsessed with it. Shortly after, the two torch their bungalow and head to Paris, where they get a room in a house owned by one of Betty’s childhood friends, Lisa (Consuelo de Haviland, The Unbearable Lightness of Being).

Lisa is young, beautiful, sexually frustrated, and excited to have Zorg and Betty around her because they make her feel alive. A couple of days after they move in, she comes home with Eddy (Gerard Darmon, The Tit and the Moon, Notre Histoire), who owns a small pizza parlor and loves red wine. The two couples have plenty of fun together.

When Eddy’s mother dies, he asks if Zorg and Betty would be interested in running the family’s piano store in the country. They immediately agree and leave Paris behind. Eventually, Betty tells Zorg that she is expecting a baby.

Years ago, Betty Blue struck a chord with me because I was in a relationship with a woman who completely changed the way I lived my life. In a way she was like Betty -- relentless, demanding, inspiring. Our relationship lacked the drama that enters Betty and Zorg’s relationship during the final third of the film, but there was a time when we felt like them, ready to risk everything, living life to the fullest. We were not experimenting, what we did simply felt right.

Most people have such experiences -- obviously, not as intense and certainly not as tragic as Betty and Zorg’s, but there is always one that they vividly remember when they grow older. In Betty Blue, Zorg recalls the time he spent with his 'other half', the one woman that made life worth living for him. She wasn’t perfect or easy to tolerate, but she completed him. That’s all.

Lebanese-born composer Gabriel Yared's (Camille Claudel, The English Patient) soundtrack, a mix of beautiful sax and piano solos, is legendary.

There are two official versions of Betty Blue. The shorter theatrical version runs at approximately 116 minutes. The longer director’s cut (version integrale) of the film runs at approximately 185 minutes. In the theatrical version not only various scenes but complete memories are simply missing.

Betty Blue Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Betty Blue arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This high-definition digital restoration was undertaken by SND Groupe M6 from the 35mm original camera negative at Digimage-Hiventy in Joinville-le-Pont, France, and approved by director Jean-Jacques Beineix. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm magnetic track."

If you have seen our review of this Region-B release that British label Second Sight produced in 2013, then you already know how I feel about the restoration of the Director's Cut of Betty Blue. I wrote back then that the restoration does the film justice, and I have not changed my mind. Now, there is one particular area where I think that a brand new 4K remaster can offer some meaningful improvements. In some of the darker areas there are nuances that can be exposed even better, and if they are, shadow definition and overall delineation will be superior (see screencapture #18). But this is it, really. Density and fluidity are already very good, plus depth is at near optimal levels. I like the color grading as well. I feel that the balance between the primaries and the supporting nuances is spot on, so only a new 4K remaster viewed in native 4K could deliver any meaningful improvements. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Betty Blue Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French: LPCM 1.0 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

In the old days, when I only had the Australian DVD release of the Director's Cut of Betty Blue, the PAL speed-up bothered me a lot more than the fact that the audio had a limited dynamic range. A proper lossless track makes a huge difference because Gabriel Yared's legendary soundtrack has an essential role in the film. You will know exactly what I mean when you sit down to view the film. There are no technical anomalies to report in our review.

Betty Blue Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Blue Note and Bungalows: The Making of Betty Blue - this excellent documentary, produced by Severin Films and Second Sight Films, focuses on the rather unusual production history of Betty Blue. Included in it are various illuminating interviews with director Jean-Jacques Beineix, producer Claudie Ossard, actors Beatrice Dalle (Betty) and Jean-Hugues Anglade (Zorg), cinematographer Jean-Francois Robin, and composer Gabriel Yared, in which they recall their experiences and work during the shooting of the film. In English and French, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (65 min, 1080p).

• Making of "Betty Blue" - this program was shot during the production of Betty Blue. In addition to raw footage from the shooting sessions, it features clips from interviews with author Philippe Djian, director Jean-Jacques Beineix, and cast/crew members. In French, with optional English subtitles. (13 min, 1080i).

• Antenne 2 Midi - presented here is a segment from French TV program which was recorded after the premiere of Betty Blue in 1986. It features Jean-Jacques Beineix and Beatrice Dalle. In French, with optional English subtitles. (8 min, 1080i).

• Beatrice Dalle Screen Test - archival footage from an early screen test with a very young Beatrice Dalle. In French, with optional English subtitles. (8 min, 1080i).

• Le Chien de Monsieur Michel - presented here is Jean-Jacques Beineix's first short film, Mr. Michel's Dog, which was completed in 1977. In French, with optional English subtitles. (16 min, 1080p).

• Trailers - vintage trailers for Betty Blue. In French, with optional English subtitles. (5 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Chelsea Phillips-Carr's essay "The Look of Love" and technical credits.

Betty Blue Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This film has everything that I like about contemporary French cinema -- authentic emotions, inspired acting, and unique style. It also embraces music as an essential quality of its identity, and I usually find films that do so impossible not to admire. Criterion's release has the restored longer Director's Cut of Betty Blue, which I think is the only version of the film worth seeing. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (*If you enjoy your viewing of Betty Blue, consider adding to your collection Jean Becker's One Deadly Summer).